Agricultural News
137th Angus Annual Meeting Keynote Speakers Announced
Fri, 02 Oct 2020 10:23:33 CDT
The American Angus Association made the difficult decision to modify the traditional Angus Convention to a simplified 137th Angus Annual Meeting. The event is slated for Nov. 8-9 at the Kansas City Convention Center and will be broadcast live online for virtual registrants. While this year's event will look different in landscape, the high-quality educational component will remain the same. The Association is excited to welcome Super Bowl Champion and Angus cattlemen Jordy Nelson, and legendary agricultural consultant and television host Kevin Ochsner to the main stage for inspiring and thought-provoking presentations.
"We are so looking forward to welcoming our members, delegates and alternates to Kansas City in a few weeks," Mark McCully, Association CEO said. "We are also preparing and are excited for our first-ever virtual option as well. New this year, our members can participate in the educational sessions and voting process from home."
Sponsored by NEOGEN, Jordy Nelson is a Super Bowl champion, former Green Bay Packer, Angus cattleman, Kansas State University alumni and Kansas rancher. He'll bring his unique perspective on taking success to the next level when he addresses attendees on Sunday, Nov. 8. Sponsored by Zoetis, Kevin Ochsner has nearly three decades of experience providing keynote speaking, strategic consulting and custom training services to many of the world's leading agribusiness companies and industry associations. Prior to founding Agcellerate, LLC in 2014, he spent 22 years with Indianapolis-based consulting companies Adayana and Agri Business Group. Oschner has developed a broad knowledge and deep understanding of the issues and trends impacting global agriculture. Ochsner will address attendees on Monday, Nov. 9. Both sessions will be streamed virtually for online registrants.
The education only just begins with the keynote speakers. A panel of industry thought leaders will present their research and findings on fertility and longevity within the Angus breed on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Improving reproductive function is an important step for both the Angus breed and the cattle industry as a whole. As the industry grows knowledge of the bovine genome through genomic technology, haplotypes can be identified that affect many traits. Haplotypes that affect fertility have been identified in dairy breeds since 2011. The strategy shows great promise and as a result, the Association and AGI have been researching haplotypes that can affect the fertility in Angus cattle. The "Focus on Fertility" panel will include Kent Weigel, professor and chair of the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at University of Wisconsin-Madison; Tom Lawlor, executive director of research and development at the Holstein Association, USA; and Kelli Retallick, director of genetic and genomic programs for Angus Genetics Inc.
The second panel discussion will be centered around the Angus cow and longevity initiatives. In an effort to establish a longevity EPD, a fully optional, easier to use, inventory-based AHIR program is being introduced to collect necessary data. Participants can learn how you can use this whole herd reporting option to complement the MaternalPlus program in the "Focus on Longevity" discussion presented by Jerry Cassady, director of member services and Chris Stallo, chief operating officer for the Association.
"Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been our goal to provide the same outstanding customer service and educational resources our members have come to expect from the Business Breed," McCully said. "The renewed 137th Annual Meeting will build on those principles. We're providing an outstanding line up of speakers aimed at educating and uplifting our membership and online registrants."
Registration for both in-person and virtual attendees is open online on AngusConvention.com through November 5. Hotel reservations can be made while registering online, and the hotel reservation deadline is Oct. 10. The American Angus Association is available to answer any questions surrounding the modified event at 816-383-5100 or events@angus.org
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